Horner "attack" on marshal "not acceptable" - Masi
Horner "attack" on marshal "not acceptable" - Masi
FIA race director Michael Masi has stated categorically that Christian Horner's "attack" on a "rogue marshal" was "not acceptable".
Red Bull team principal Horner was left irritated little more than an hour before lights out in Qatar when Max Verstappen was handed a five-place grid penalty for ignoring double-waved yellow flags in qualifying.
A quick change from single-yellows, back to green and with DRS reactivated before double-yellows were shown caused confusion with Valtteri Bottas also hit with a three-place penalty for an offence in the initial phase.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 shortly after learning of the penalty, Horner labelled the flag-waver a "rogue marshal" for which he was summoned to the stewards and handed an official warning.
Confirming it was he that had referred the incident to the stewards, Masi explained: "I think you should not attack any person and particularly when we have thousands of volunteer marshals around the world that give up a huge amount of time globally.
"Without them, this sport that everyone has very close to their heart, all of them give up a huge amount of their time and without them, it won’t happen.
“That is the part that a lot of people miss and I will defend every volunteer official and every official around every race track around the world that that is not acceptable.
[It was] a safety activity and [the marshal was] acting upon doing the best, in their view, acting in the best interests of keeping everyone safe on track and I don’t think anyone should be criticised for acting on their instincts.”
Horner apologetic for conduct
Although Horner has since insisted he has 'no regrets' over his conduct across the weekend in Qatar, Masi confirmed the Red Bull boss had been forthcoming with an apology when facing the stewards.
The race director was also grateful for the offers of a personal apology to the marshal concerned and for Horner to attend the FIA stewards' seminar next year.
"Christian was very apologetic for his comments and as part of that, obviously, the stewards’ decision was very straightforward," Masi added.
“Christian was very apologetic and didn’t mean to offend anyone.
"The person in question that was actually waving the flag has been apologised to personally and Christian, to his credit, has volunteered to come and be a part of the stewards’ seminar in 2022.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Results Today: Chinese Grand Prix practice times as SURPRISE driver tops charts
- 2 hours ago
Young F1 star set to make McLaren debut in injury replacement
- 22 minutes ago
Hamilton makes STUNNING claim on F1 future amid Ferrari contract uncertainty
- 1 hour ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull and Verstappen dealt title blow as bizarre FIRE halts Chinese GP practice
- 2 hours ago
Chinese Grand Prix practice red flagged after BIZARRE fire
- 3 hours ago
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- Today 05:20
Related news
Kravitz reveals awkward Wolff story following Hamilton F1 drama
Sainz makes 'cruel' F1 revelation
Mercedes admit Russell/Hamilton clash 'seriously compromised' strategy
Alonso explains why Qatar GP was one of the 'toughest races in history'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860